The LSU Tigers suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in recent program history, falling to 16th-ranked Kentucky 42-21 in Lexington.
LSU was dominated by the Wildcats on both sides of the ball, as the Tigers were outplayed, outcoached, and outclassed by Kentucky on their way to their second consecutive loss, and third defeat of the season.
It was also the Tigers’ second straight loss at Kentucky, the second-most points allowed by any LSU team against the Wildcats, and the 21-point loss was the second-worst in the 58-game history of this series.
Ty Davis-Price was one of the few bright spots for LSU, rushing for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Comeaux High product Malik Nabers scored the Tigers’ only other touchdown of the evening, connecting with Max Johnson on a 41-yard reception early in the fourth quarter.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis picked up where Auburn’s Bo Nix left off last week, gaining a combined 220 yards and scoring five touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing) without committing a turnover.
LSU’s defense couldn’t stop him on the ground or through the air. Levis completed 14 of his 17 attempts for 145 yards, and he ran through the Tigers defense like high schoolers breaking through a pregame banner.
The Wildcats’ other two offensive stars, running back Chris Rodriguez (16 carries, 147 yards, two TDs), and wideout Wan’Dale Robinson (8 receptions, 60 yards, TD), did plenty of damage on their own.
Kentucky finished with 475 yards of total offense, including 330 on the ground.
After Johnson fumbled on LSU’s first possession, Kentucky went 44 yards in nine plays, with Levis hitting Rodriquez for a three yard touchdown catch.
The Wildcats would score again on their second possession, with Levis finding Robinson for an 11-yard TD, making the score 14-0.
LSU’s defense would hold pretty firm through the rest of the first half, but the offense failed to reach the end zone for the fourth and fifth straight quarters.
After falling behind 21-0 after Kentucky’s first possession of the second half, the Tigers finally got on the board. LSU was able to string together a nine play, 75 yard drive, capped by a one yard Davis-Price score.
LSU would score on three of its five possessions in the second half. Unfortunately, Kentucky scored on four of six.
The Tigers would get to within 14 points on Davis-Price’s second touchdown run, but Kentucky recovered the onside kick that followed and Rodriguez’s 18-yard touchdown run was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
As LSU’s record sinks to 3-3, 0-2 in SEC play, it’s becoming harder and harder to see an end to this losing streak. The Tigers still have four more games ahead against currently ranked teams, and Texas A&M will surely become the fifth after its upset of number one Alabama.
What’s easier to see is that the Ed Orgeron era is coming to an end. It’s a stunning fall from grace for a coach and a program less than two years removed from its greatest glory.
Next up, the Florida Gators at 11:00 a.m. in Tiger Stadium.